Scamorza Abruzzese alla Brace — Grilled Smoked Cheese from Abruzzo

Abruzzo — the scamorza affumicata tradition is found throughout central-southern Italy (Campania, Molise, Basilicata, Abruzzo all produce versions) but the Abruzzese preparation specifically on the grill or over live embers is the most direct and celebrated expression.

Scamorza abruzzese is the stretched-curd (pasta filata) cheese of the Abruzzo interior — made from whole cow's milk, shaped into the characteristic pear with a narrow neck (smaller than caciocavallo), and either left fresh (bianca) or lightly smoked over hay or straw for 24-48 hours (affumicata). The smoked version, grilled on a cast-iron grill or directly on embers until the exterior chars and blisters and the interior becomes molten, is the definitive Abruzzese antipasto — served whole or halved, the melted cheese running from the cuts. It is one of those preparations where the technique (high-heat grilling of a specific cheese) produces a result completely different from any other cooking method.

Scamorza alla brace at the table is still sizzling — the charred exterior dark and fragrant with smoke, the interior white and running when pierced. The flavour is simultaneously charred-bitter and sweet-milky; the smoke of the scamorza's own affumicatura combined with the new char of the grill. With prosciutto d'Abruzzo alongside, it is the most direct possible expression of the central Italian antipasto tradition.